Fireplace damper



March 5, 1940. J. KOBERLING FIREPLACE DAMPER g M M.Z 7 4 h 5% Q d m.

Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,192,381 FIREPLACE DAMPER Joseph Koberling, Tulsa, Okla.

Application May 19, 1939, Serial No. 274,632

4 Claims.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fireplace dampers.

In the operation of a fireplace, smoke and products of combustion travel upwardly through the chimney with a slow spiral or curling movement and when the outside atmosphere is damp and heavy, there is a tendency for the smoke and products of combustion to be retarded in their up-draft and in eifect stifie the up-draft 19 through the chimney with the result that thethrough the throat of the fireplace at the mounting of the damper to cause the smoke and products of combustion to move upwardly with a spiral twist toovercome the downward damping effects. of the outside atmosphere and assure a perfect up-draft through the chimney for a more eificient'.

operation of the fireplace.

The construction of fireplaces greatly varies in design, necessitating numerous differences in Walls and other constructions with whichv the.

damper, the latter being so constructed together 40,-with the mounting frame therefor as toadapt the same for the placement of the operating device at the most desirable point.

With the'above and other objects in. View that will. become apparent as the nature ofthe inven- 45; tion is better understood, the same consists in general of certain novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and claimed.

50' In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a fireplace flue damper, the. damper plate-being in its closed position andequipped with a concealed damper. plate operator and afront damper plate. operator;

56* Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of the fireplace spiral damper showing the device to facilitate the at tachment of operators of the concealed or exposed front and end" operators,

Fig. 3 is aside edge elevational view of the damper plate removed from the supporting frame therefor and showing the propeller formation. of the damper plate,

Fig. 4' is a longitudinal detailed sectional View taken on line 4-4 of' Fig. 1, showing parts oflthe.

front operating device and their. connection with the damper plate, i

Fig. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view takenv on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing an end bearing for the damper plate construction for the. operation of an operating device positioned laterally 151 or. at the: side of: the. fireplace, and

Fig. 6 is. a detailed sectional View showing the connection of. the concealed operator rod for the damper plate, the rod. being illustrated by dotted lines. 20'

The fireplace fiue damper and mounting, plate therefor. areillustrated as entirely separated from a fireplace and it is: to be. understood that while this fine; damper and supporting structure. is shown as being" generally of rectangular forma- 25, tion, the same may be constructed in any shape desired to accommodate the mounting thereof in various types: of. fireplaces and be associatedwith. fireplace or chimney flues of various configurations and of vertical. or inclined types. 30

The damper plate Ill is of generally rectangular formation that is; pivotally mounted at oppo-. site ends at axial points in a manner to be presentlydescribed with the side edge ll swung upwardly and the opposite side edge l2 swung 35 downwardly when the damper plate m ls moved to its open position. .The side edge N that swings upwardly has rounded corners l3 and M. the terminal. portion of the side edge it being of reverse curve formation in simulation of apro- 4O peller with the corner 13- slightly extending upwardly-while thecorner l4 slightly extends downwardly asclearly shown in Fig. 3; this design of the damper plate imparts a spiral motion to the upwardly flowing smoke and products of com- 451 bustion passing through the. throat of the fireplace into the chimney or flue, the spiral. activity of the smoke and products of combustion moving with increased inherent velocity due to the.

motion thereof to through the chimney and to prevent. smoking of the fireplace.

A frame is provided for the support of the damper plate. l0. and. saidframe is. of generally.

rectangular formation and comprises. a top. plate increase rip-draft 5o;

cooperate with the curved edge I of the damper plate to provide a substantially complete closure at the throat of the fireplace. The pivotal mountings for the opposite ends of the damper plate I0 include a bearing l3 at one end of the damper plate and the supporting frame therefor, while the bearing for the opposite end of the damper plate is shown more clearly'in Figs. 2 and 5 and comprises a bearing plate l3 secured as at 2|! to the bottom face of the damper plate l0 and carrying an outwardly extending cylindrical bearing 2| rotatable in a block 22 anchored between a pair of depending lugs 23 forming a part of the depending flange ll. The bearing plate l3 carries a depending longitudinally'extending rib 24 in line with said cylindri cal bearing 2|, and said rib 24 and bearing 2| are provided with a key socket 23 for purposes presently to appear. Opening movement of the damper plate 50 is limited by abutment lugs 26 projecting into the opening l3 in the damper supporting frame from opposite ends of the top plate'portion l5, closing movement of the damper plate l0 being guided by the cut-out portion 27 in the side edge H of the damper plate that moves over the lug 28 at the adjacent side of the frame plate l5 with said side edge finding rest upon the laterally extending foot 29 carried by the lower end of the lug 23 and disposed at the lower edge of the adjacent portion of the depending flange Ill.

The damper is designed to be moved to its open and closed positions by means of a concealed operator located within the fireplace opening, a front operator or one that is operated through the front wall of the fireplace or an end operator that will be referred to as a side operator being operable from the side of the fireplace to effect pivotal movements of the damper plate ID on its end bearings |3 and 2|. It is to be understood that the fireplace flue damper is to be equipped with only one operating device therefor, either the coneealed, front, or side operator to meet certain conditions or construction of the fireplace, the particular mounting of the damper and the desires of. the users thereof.

The concealed operator is shown more clearly in Figs. 1, 2 and 6, and comprises an elongated rod 30 provided with a hook 3| at its upper end engageable in an opening provided in a depending lug 32 carried by the damper plate It), the lug 32 with an opening therein as shown in'Fig. 6 being covered by Wear and bearing plates 33.

A handle 34 is adjustably mounted on the lower end of the rod 33 and has an arcuate head 35, the concave side thereof being provided with spaced teeth 36. A bracket plate 37 is adapted to be mounted within a fireplace opening and suitably secured to a side wall thereof in concealed-position and said bracket plate 31 carries a laterally disposed ring portion 33 in which the handle 34 and arcuate head 35 are disposed, the

forward edge of the ring 33 having a struck-up portion39 with the teeth 33 engageable with the ring 33 at either side of the struck-up portion 39,

according to the mounting of the bracket plate 31 with the struck-up portion 39 acting to restrict movement of the arcuate head 35 relative to the ring 38. The damper is heldin its adjusted position by the teeth 36 of the head being engaged with the ring 38, the side edge H of the damper plate being slightly overbalanced which combined with the weight of the rod 30 and handle 34, causes the damper plate to have a tendency to move to its closed position which is arrested by the engagementof the'teeth 36 with the ring 38.

In lieu of the concealed operator comprising the rod 30 and handle 34 together with its associated bracket plate 31, there may be provided a front operator for the damper plate In and one in which the handle of the operator extends through the front wall of the fireplace, such an operator and its connection with the damper plate l0 being shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 5. To accommodate the mounting of the front operator, there is provided a pair of apertured lugs 40 depending from the top plate portion I5 at the end thereof adjacent and laterally of the cylindrical bearing 2| and in which apertured lugs 40 and disk bearings 4| are journaled with key openings in said disk bearings 4| for the reception of an elongated key rod 42 that is interlockingly received therein. An arm 43 having a key bearing 44 at one end is positioned between the apertured lugs 4|) and, in which the key rod 42 is interlockingly received. The other end of the arm 43 has a link connection 45 with an apertured lug 43 depending from the lower face of the damperplate l0 adjacent the curved edge thereof. provided with a rotatable handle 4'? carrying a hand-grip 48 and journaled in a mounting bracket 49. It will be understood that upon rotation of the handle 41 by means of the hand-' grip 48 the key rod 42 swings the arm 43 for moving the damper plate I!) on its end bearings l8 and 2|, the hand-grip 48 being of a construction for cooperation with the bracket plate .49 for holding the key rod 42 in its rotatably shifted position together with the damper plate l0.

In lieu of either the concealed or front opera- The outer end of the key rod 42 is tors for the damper plate l 0, a side operator may invention it is believed. that the construction.

and operation thereof will at once be apparent,

it being noted that the spiral formation of the edge I I of the damper plate imparts spiralactivities to smoke and products of combustion flowing upwardly through the fireplace flue or chimney to increase draft through the chimney. It is also to be understood that the fireplace damper is to be equipped with only one of the operating devices, namely, the concealed, front or side operators, the construction of damper plate and mounting frame therefor being of such construction as to permit the selective association therewith of the particular type of operator desired. r 1

' While there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that minor changes maybe made in the details of construction, suchas will.

fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

posite axial bearings, a mounting frame for the damper plate and one side edge of the damper plate being curved and having rounded ends merging in the end walls of the plate with the rounded ends respectively directed upwardly and downwardly out of the plane of the damper plate in simulation of a propeller to impart impetus and spiral activities to smoke and products of combustionfiowing in upward contact therewith.

2. In a fireplace damper of the character described, a damper plate having diametrically opposite axial bearings, a mounting frame for the damper plate and said damper plate having a reversely curved edge in simulation of a propeller to impart impetus and spiral activities to smoke and products of combustion flowing in upward contact therewith.

3. In a fireplace damper of the character described, a damper plate having diametrically 0pposite pivot bearings, a mounting frame for the damper plate, said damper plate having a reversely curved edge in simulation of a propeller to impart impetus and spiral activities to smoke and products of combustion flowing in upward contact therewith, concealed damper operating means comprising a rod connected at one end to the bottom face of the damper plate laterally of the longitudinal axis thereof, a bracket plate adapted to be secured to an inner wall of the fireplace and a ratchet head on the lower end of the rod cooperating with the bracket plate for holding the damper plate in adjusted position.

4. In a fireplace damper of the character described, a damper plate having diametrically opposite pivot bearings, a mounting frame for the damper plate and concealed operating means for the damper plate comprising an elongated rod detachably connected at its upper end to the bottom face of the damper plate at one side of the longitudinal axis of the damper plate, a bracket plate secured to an inner side wall of the fireplace and an arcuate ratchet head adjustably mounted on the lower end of the elongated rod and cooperating with the bracket plate for holding the damper plate in adjusted position.

JOSEPH KOBERLING. 

